Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission Withdraws Power Tariff Hike

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission or DERC has withdrawn the power tariff hike of up to seven per cent in the national capital which was announced last night, according to the Press Trust of India. The hike would have come into effect from tomorrow.

The regulator had hiked the tariff by levying surcharge heeding to the demands of the three private power distribution companies.

According to the DERC order, the hike would have been on seven per cent for consumers of BSES Yamuna Power Ltd while BSES Rajdhani customers will have had to shell out 4.5 per cent extra on their electricity bills. The hike for consumers of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd was fixed at 2.5 per cent.
With elections in Delhi just months away, BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party had strongly criticised the hike.

Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay yesterday said the party will raise the issue with Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had slammed the BJP government at the Centre over the hike in power tariffs. “BJP govt again increases power tariff in delhi. BJP promised to reduce it by 30pc. BJP made a U-turn… We promised to reduce it by half and we did it. Ji kehte hain, wo jarte hain. When AAP forms govt, we will again reduce tariff by half,” he said in a series of tweets.